I literally shudder at the thought of prom preparations, half from excitement and half from fear. It's come round again and whether it's a full on prom, casual party or just an end of year do, there is one thing we will all need: a dress.
Luckily for you guys (hopefully), I have been to a prom in my life and I have just bought my dress for my second. So I thought this was a perfect time to write a blog post on buying your prom dress.
Let's start with some tips:
- Start early but not first. You do not want to be the first of your friends to get a dress because you might get the complete wrong type of dress for the party you're going to. But also being early and showing a few of your friends means that you're less likely to get the same dress as someone and you won't have that last minute stress - especially as it's normally around exam season.
- Know the basic 'dress code.' So obviously most of you will be wearing dresses but you might want to get a feel whether people are going very fancy, long or short dresses and what not. So you won't stick out like a sore thumb. (Although obviously the colour and style is up to you and standing out isn't always a bad thing.)
- Don't stress too much. These days there is so much pressure on your dress, I remember my first prom I was so worried about it- for no real reason? Just try and enjoy the experience of buying a super gorgeous dress and don't get too hung up on the other stuff going on.
- Avoid buying online. In my opinion, buying your prom dress online is unwise. You don't know how it's going to fit, how it's going to look on you and what the quality will be like. I may be wrong (my best friend buys all hers online), but I find returning stuff too much effort so I always buy in person.
Firstly, I would do a little internet research. Try and find out what dress suits your body shape (or just the style you love the most.) Then go online and look at the ranges of your favourite shops. Not necessarily looking for "the one" just to get a feel for the kind of dresses and styles available this year.
There are the obvious ones: Topshop, Miss Selfridge ect...
But try some different shops to avoid getting the same as everyone else going!
- ASOS has a massive range of dresses for different levels of formality
- John Lewis has some amazing evening dresses
- Or somewhere even more obscure like Needle and Thread
I recommend either going to a big shopping centre or going to a city that is going to have lots of small boutiques. This way you will not be limited to the shops you always go in, reducing your chances of getting the same dress as somebody else.
If you have a big budget or are lucky enough to catch the sales: little boutiques are perf. The dresses they sell are normally unique and they can help fit to your exact size. They might not have the biggest range but it takes so much stress away knowing that no one else will have your dress. The people running these stores are also very passionate about their business so will help you in any way.
You might know a little town that will have boutiquey type shops or you can look online, type in the area and 'prom dresses'. Hopefully it should conjure a list of shops specifically for prom dresses in your chosen area.
If you're looking in a shopping centre it may be a bit overwhelming. Take your time, don't buy the first thing you try on and like. (But you should definitely ask them to put it behind the desk for you so it's there if you decide to go back and get it.) Try not to get distracted by trying on every dress you like, it sounds silly but you need to focus, once you put on a dress if you don't think you're going to buy it: take it off. Also, keep an eye out for shops selling shoes and clutches because that's what's next once you have a dress.
Whilst shopping, avoid Topshop, Newlook, River Island (unless you love one in there) because they are too common and someone else will probably have them. Department stores are great as they sell nice evening wear and a variety of brands. Sometimes it's worth having a look in the bridal section as some bridesmaid dresses could work as prom dresses.
I set out that I wanted blue fitted dress but I've ended up getting a green maxi. I love it though. I just have certain things I look out for: a nice neckline, back and preferable a slit up the leg. My green dress has all of that, and it looks fabby so the colour and style didn't really matter to me.
Similarly, don't limit yourself on budget. Even if you have a smaller budget, go into some of the more expensive stores as they might have sales and reductions that puts your perfect dress into your budget.
Before you buy your dress, check the returns policy. It probably won't be very long but it's worth knowing. When I bought my dress, I got a 7 days return policy so I knew if I wanted to change my dress, I'd have to be pretty quick.
I like to continue looking before the final date of the returns policy just in case. But once a weeks gone by, it's time to concentrate on shoes and a clutch... there's no going back on the dress now.
You could try: Thanks for reading and I hope this helped some of you! Good luck and most importantly have fun.
Laura Stone x
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